The Hot Ticket: Cubism

A game-changing movement in the history of modern art, Cubism involved the breaking down of objects and figures into flat planes and, in its abandonment of European painting traditions, paved the way for future forms of abstraction in art. Recently bequeathed a spectacular array of Cubist works, the Metropolitan Museum of Art pays homage to its benefactor and the movement in Cubism: The Leonard A. Lauder Collection.

Selectively acquiring Cubist masterpieces throughout the past 40 years, Leonard Lauder (of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.) amassed a staggering 81 paintings, works on paper and sculptures by seminal Cubists Picasso, Braque, Gris and Léger. Now a part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s permanent collection, all 81 artworks are unveiled for the first time in the exhibition.

A staggering collection that takes in some of the very earliest works by the movement’s inseparable founders, Picasso and Braque, it is distinguished by its quality, focus and depth. Offering an introduction, method and open conclusion to Cubism, it is essential viewing for experts and art enthusiasts alike.

Cubism: The Leonard A. Lauder Collection runs until Monday 16th February at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.